Tag Archives: mana

Eating Gluten-Free is Possible in Hong Kong!

2 Nov

gluten free hong kong baking maniac

 

Although the rest of the world has been on the gluten-free bandwagon for a long time, Hong Kong has only recently become aware of diners’ dietary restrictions, and more and more restaurants these days are actually thinking about what goes into their food and what the diner really wants.

My good friend Jaime and I compiled a list on Sassy’s website of all the tried and tested restaurants, shops, supermarkets and hotels that provide gluten-free food, whether it’s already on the menu or if all you need to do is ask.

Rather than re-post the whole thing here, I’m just going to direct you straight to the post on Sassy’s website, so click here if you’re a fellow sufferer and want to know where you can get your gluten-free fix.

As we said on the article, this is by no means a full list of Hong Kong’s gluten-free options, but I hope that for the meantime it will at least keep you busy  until we find more. In most cases, provided the staff know how to say more than simply “cannot” (one of my least favourite words), restaurants are more than willing to do whatever they can to accommodate gluten (or even other) intolerances. Just ask and find out for yourselves.

Happy (healthy) eating!

Table for Two HK’s Healthy Summer Dining Experience

30 Jul

 

Table for Two HK TFT HK

Table for Two HK has partnered up with nine amazing restaurants all over the city that will each serve their very own special TFT HK dishes throughout the month of August, as part of its Healthy Summer Dining Experience. When you purchase these dishes, part of the proceeds will help TFT HK provide school lunches for children in developing countries, in line with their motto: Order for one. Feed two. And help the world eat better.

The other part of the deal means that, as well as helping feed starving children, if your photo of your TFT HK dish receives the most likes on Facebook, you can win exciting prizes.

As one of Table for Two’s Food Heroes, I was lucky enough to be invited along for the launch of the Healthy Summer Dining Experience, which took us on a tour of six of the participating venues to taste their special TFT HK dish or drink; our own little restaurant crawl, if you like.

The Genie Concept

We started our day at The Genie Concept to try their fresh organic pineapple and kale juice. 

The Genie Concept Hong Kong

I was initially a little put off by the thought of drinking kale, yet was taken by surprise at how delicious and refreshing this juice was. Kale is rich in vitamin C and vitamin B6, and is also particularly good for women, given that it helps protect against breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

The Genie Concept in Sheung Wan offers 1, 2, 4 or 6-day juice cleanses designed for the busy Hong Kong lifestyle. Instead of your three meals a day, Genie will deliver you six freshly-pressed juices in a reusable cooler. For those, like me, who would not be able to handle this, you can just pop by for the one-off tasty juice or even some delicious healthy dishes.

If your photo of your pineapple and kale juice gets the most likes, you could win a 1-day Genie Concept Cleanse.

The Genie Concept
Shop B, G/F, Universal Building
5-13 New Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2803 0369
www.thegenieconcept.com

Grassroots Pantry

Grassroots Pantry Hong Kong

Our next destination was Grassroots Pantry, to try their Quinoa salad with orange hazelnut dressing, full of fresh flavours and interesting textures.

Grassroots Pantry Hong Kong

As you already know from my recent review of Grassroots Pantry (find it here), I adore this sweet little haven tucked away in Sai Ying Pun. The décor is charmingly beautiful, the staff greet you with a smile, and the vegetarian food is wholesome and delicious. Hong Kong definitely needs more places like this.

If your photo of the quinoa salad receives the most likes, you could win a voucher to attend a Grassroots Pantry workshop.

Grassroots Pantry
12 Fuk Sau Lane
Sai Ying Pun
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2873 3353
www.grassrootspantry.com

Light

Light radiant food Hong Kong

We moved on to Light, to try their Black Bean Burger.

Light radiant food hong kong

Light is an adorable little café on Eastern Street that feels far away from Hong Kong. Lovely owner Stephanie admitted that her aim is for people to “leave feeling better” after having eaten there; I certainly did.

The black bean patty is perfect: crispy on the outside with a moreish spiciness to it encased in a wonderfully fluffy homemade whole-wheat bun. I was rather anti veggie burgers, until I tried Stephanie’s.

Light radiant food hong kong

The winning photographer will receive a free dinner at Light.

Light
1 Second Street (entrance on Eastern Street)
Sai Ying Pun
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2559 9098

MANA! Fast Slow Food

mana hong kong

MANA!’s Organic Mezze Platter awaited us next, full to the brim with hummus, babaghanouj, black and green olives, green salad and their famous flatbread topped with zaatar – the perfect sharing platter.

mana hong kong

MANA! is my favourite healthy lunch spot at the moment, as you can see from my review here, and judging by how busy it is every day of the week, it’s clear that most of Hong Kong is of the same opinion.

If your photo wins, MANA! is giving away a dinner for two.

MANA! Fast Slow Food
92 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2851 1611
www.mana.hk

Teakha

Teakha Hong Kong

For dessert, we ventured back into Sheung Wan to try Teakha’s Lemon and ginger tart, made with a ginger snap base and a creamy lemon topping, sprinkled with fresh lemon zest.

Teakha Hong Kong

I’ve walked past Teakha multiple times, but have never had the time to check it out. After tasting the amazing tart and ogling the rest of the cakes on display, I will certainly be making the time to go back.

The best photo will win a Teakha tea set for two.

Teakha
18 Tai Ping Shan Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2858 9185
www.teakha.com

The Flying Winemaker

The Flying Winemaker Hong Kong

Our final stop was for a glass of Eddie McDougall Cabernet Merlot 2010 from King Valley, Australia at The Flying Winemaker.

The Flying Winemaker Hong Kong

Hong Kong-born Eddie McDougall’s Cabernet Merlot is light and easy to drink; in fact it went down far too easily for a 2pm tipple.

The lucky winner will receive two vouchers to a WineSkool Tongue Explorer class, apparently “the cheekiest and most enjoyable way to learn about tasting and understanding wine”.

The Flying Winemaker
31 Wyndham Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2522 2187
www.eddiemcdougall.com

The final three participating restaurants in TFT HK’s Healthy Summer Dining Experience are Veggie SF, FoFo by El Willy and Pure Bar + Restaurant – not a bad selection. So as from Wednesday 1st August, you can make a difference by eating healthily at the same as helping a starving child eat healthily too…and of course you might be lucky enough to win some great prizes!

 

 

 

 

 

MANA! Fast Slow Food

5 Jun

 

 

The organic, slow food movement has taken the world by storm. Although Hong Kong has been pretty slow to jump on the bandwagon, little steps are being taken to catch up with the rest of the world and fulfill the growing demand for healthy, vegan food. First we had the ever-popular Life Cafe, which then opened up a deli on Ship Street; now we have MANA! Fast Slow Food, set up by Bobsy (the founder of Life Cafe and the Bookworm Cafe on Lamma) and Christian, a chef who previously worked with the likes of Alain Ducasse in France.

MANA!’s motto is ‘Eat like it matters’ and specialises in organic, vegan and raw food, with many gluten-free options. Personally, there’s only so much airy-fairy health food I can handle, but when it tastes sooo good, and when I know that every bite I take is filling me with guilt-free goodness, I do get a little bit excited. I have been to MANA! a number of times and think I can safely say that I have tried, if not everything, then at least most things on the menu. In all honesty, there isn’t a single thing I have tried that I really didn’t like; there are things I would not order again (like the Earth Juice, but only because I prefer my beetroot on a plate as opposed to in a glass), but generally I actually have to refrain from going back there most days for fear that the staff might think I’m a little bit obsessed.

Potato and zucchini soup

Starting with the soups, MANA! offers two kinds: the soup of the day that obviously varies depending on the day, and a dhal. Whilst the potato and zucchini soup on this particular day was delicious, light and comforting, I’d recommend going for the dhal, which is beautifully spiced and that little bit more exciting.

Large salad box

The salad selection is also delicious, offering choices such as beetroot and mandarin, grilled vegetables, potato salad and quinoa. Because I eat there fairly often, I would quite like them to offer different options every now and then, but then again, as the old saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Autumn flatbread

The flatbreads are what MANA! is all about, though. The bread is freshly baked in MANA!’s handmade brick oven, smothered in ‘zaatar’ (a combination of sesame seeds, thyme, sumac and sea salt), filled with all sorts of goodies and then wrapped, ready to go. Try the Autumn Flat filled with grilled haloumi, grilled veggies and rocket. I like to ask them to add a dollop of babaganoush for good measure. If I may make one complaint about the flats, however, it’s that the price seems a little high for what it is. Effectively, the flats are like glorified sandwiches, and I would find it difficult to part with $80 for a sandwich.

Haloumi and tofu burger

The haloumi and tofu burger sadly isn’t as delicious as I had imagined, but then again I was probably imagining something unattainably perfect. The ‘healthy’ fries, however, are dangerously moreish. I think they must call them ‘healthy’ to make you feel slightly less bad about gorging on them.

Raw hazelnut torte and raw chocolate truffle

Definitely save space for dessert, especially as they are healthy desserts! The raw, vegan coconut ice cream is pretty special, whilst the raw hazelnut torte is divine – gooey and intensely chocolatey with an added nutty crunch at the bottom. Though delicious, raw chocolate truffles are rather rich, so all you really need is one little ball of goodness.

It’s not just MANA!’s food that is green; the whole space is built to respect and give back to the environment, with free water, energy-saving lights, water-saving toilets, reclaimed furniture and paper straws (note: make sure you drink your juice before the straw becomes soggy). Considering how un-eco-friendly the majority of Hong Kong is – think of how much energy the light show every evening must waste – I think Bobsy and Christian’s concept is very refreshing. I wonder how long it will take for the rest of the city to follow suit, if at all…

MANA! Fast Slow Food
92 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2851 1611

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